How to get to know your machine better (and avoid costly breakdowns)

Well-maintained equipment that’s used correctly and that’s right for the job will stay productive for years. The key to preventing breakdowns is to follow a few simple tips. Our experts share their advice on how to listen to what your machine is trying to tell you.

Get acquainted with your manual

Your Cat equipment manual contains all the information you need to operate and maintain a piece of heavy equipment in a well-organized, easy to read format. With its clear illustrations, step-by-step procedures and checklists, it’s easy to get straight to the information you’re looking for.

Listen to your operators and your gut

With experience and gut instincts, operators can really develop a feeling for their machines. A noise, drop in RPMs or a control that doesn’t respond as quickly as usual are all indicators of potential issues. If you are a technician or manager, encourage your operators to tell you if they sense something’s off. If you’re an operator, you can signal the alert yourself.

Stop the machine if there’s a problem

Halting operations for an equipment malfunction costs a lot less than a major problem that stops a unit dead in its tracks on site. If you think there might be a problem, the most logical course of action is to stop and look into the matter. What’s more, stopping a machine that’s got a problem is the safe thing to do and could help avoid an accident.

When in doubt, have it inspected

Toromont Cat [1] certified technicians carry out two kinds of inspection.

TA1 and/or TA2 inspections of your equipment are a simple way of assessing its condition. By identifying problems at their source, you can avoid much more expensive problems and much longer downtime. Don’t wait for a breakdown to act!